Cold Peppermint Mocha
by storyofeden
Summary: And it's Christmas. Ten years later...  OneShot


**Author's Note: This came to me while I should've been studying for my CompSci test. [Are you seeing a procrastination trend here?]**

**Special Thanks to: NatesMama1128 and ProfeJMarie. =] Thanks, guys. Hearts.**

**This Oneshot was brought to you by: We Might Be Alone by Like Yesterday, Not Smiles On Christmas by Bleed the Dream, & Blue and Cold by Versus the World.**

**Read and Review Please. =]**

* * *

She was Christmas shopping. She didn't really _do _Christmas, but she was shopping for it nonetheless. It had been a long day already, what with the kids waking her up at an inhumanely early hour and begging her to make waffles before school. For as smart as her children were, they really hated school.

Lost in her own thoughts, she wandered up and down the aisles at Target, looking for the things on her list.

"Bones?"

A voice broke her from her reverie. Tempe froze. She knew that voice.

"Booth?" she asked incredulously, turning around to face him. As soon as she did, her breathing hitched. Seeley Booth was looking as charming as ever. With the lines on his face only a little deeper and some silver at his temples, she saw that age had been good to him.

"God, Bones! It's so good to see you," he enveloped her in a friendly hug. "How have you been?"

"I've been well. Busy, but well," she said, a smile slipping onto her face. "How about you?"

"Oh, you know, wife, kids, job. It's been hectic."

"How is Hannah?"

"Oh, she's great! We've actually got another little Booth on the way."

"Oh, wow. Really?" She couldn't help but be happy for her former partner.

"Yeah, we're preparing. Soon, there will be three little Booths running around. That'll drive Parker crazy whenever he stops by."

"Parker is what? 19, now?" she asked and Booth nodded confirmation. "Is he going to college?"

"Pff. 'Is he going to college?' Of course, he is, Bones! He's at University of Maryland right now. Full baseball scholarship."

"Booth! That's fantastic. You'll have to tell him I said congratulations."

Booth agreed that he would and an awkward silence fell between them. Just because they hadn't seen each other in ten years didn't mean this had to be awkward. They could do this.

"So, Cam told me you got married?" Booth threw out there, hoping it wasn't a sore subject.

"Yeah, Samuel is great. We've got two kids. They're five and seven."

"Ah, so they're in school now? How's that going? Are they as smart as their mom?" he joked with her.

Tempe smiled, "Yes, they are quite intelligent."

Booth grinned, seeing the love for her children in her eyes.

"Listen, Bones, about that day, I—"

"It's over, Booth," she waved his apology off. "It's been over for 10 years."

"Bones…"

* * *

_"Bones? What are you doing here?" Booth asked as she descended the steps of the Hoover building._

_"I'm not a gambler, Booth," she started._

_"Bones, no. I know where this is going, and I'm saying no."_

_"Listen, I'm not the gambler, I'm a scientist. But I've gone over the evidence. I've calculated everything."_

_"What?..."_

_"I believe the phrase you use was 'I wanna give this a shot." She smiled._

_"No, Bones. You told me my evidence was anecdotal. You shut me down. You can't take it back now."_

_Her face fell, "Then why are you here?"_

_"Bones, you're not making any sense."_

_"I didn't ask you here. And it's been 2 years to the day since that happened. Why are you here?"_

_"You know why I'm here…"_

_She leaned against cement wall and sighed, "You're getting married tomorrow, Booth."_

_"Bones…It's the night before my wedding…You're IN the wedding for Christ's sake," he paused for a moment and took a deep breath. "I just don't understand. Why now?"_

_"Because…I want that 30 or 40 or 50 years with you, as ridiculous as the idea may seem. I just…needed to tell you this before you took part in such an outdated ritual tomorrow. I mean.—"_

_"Bones…I'm getting married tomorrow…"_

_"Then, it seems our roles have reversed…" she paused. "I need to move on, Booth. Like you did."_

_"I know, Bones…It's only fair…"_

_"Yeah…Fair."_

_"Can we still work together?"_

_"You did that for me. I can do that for you."_

* * *

They worked a grand total of six cases after that night. Brennan served as Hannah's Maid of Honor in the wedding. But eventually, Booth took a new job at Quantico. And Brennan met a man, got married, and went back to what she was trained to do, what she was best at: anthropology without the murder.

"Well, I've got gifts to get so…" she trailed off, taking a step back.

"Yeah, me too…"

Tempe fiddled with the hem of her sweater and Booth shoved his hand in his pockets, fiddling his keys.

"We never did get that cup of coffee," she said after a moment of listening to the bustling shoppers.

"Um…" he clearly had no idea what she was referencing. "I used to be able to follow your brain, but not so much anymore…"

"We always said that if we weren't partners, we'd get coffee."

"Oh, right. I guess we're bad coffee friends, huh?"

"I yeah, I suppose we are."

Another awkward pause entered itself into the conversation.

"Listen, I really gotta go, but I'll call ya. K, Bones?"

"Yeah, we'll get coffee or something."

They smiled at one another. And with that, the two former partners walked in opposite directions. Tempe was headed for the toy section. Booth, for the exit.


End file.
